Washington State Not Mandating Vaccinations For Political Ally

Many blue states like Washington have made sweeping vaccine requirements as of late in an attempt to prove their dedication to public health.

But reports of special exemptions keep trickling out, proving that the COVID-19 vaccine serves more as a political instrument than the saving grace of a true health pandemic.

Washington's Democratic governor Jay Inslee has demanded that hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers receive the vaccination or be fired, refusing to make small concessions like natural antibody acknowledgement or daily testing exemptions for the unvaccinated. Curiously, though, one very specific union of about 45,000 healthcare workers was given special exemption.

In his Aug. 20 vaccine proclamation, Inslee specifically allowed unionized in-home healthcare workers—the people responsible for dressing, feeding, bathing, and caring for some of the most COVID-vulnerable patients in the entire f*cking state—to continue working without vaccination in the patients’ own homes. This cohort of workers contract directly with the state to administer care to Medicare-eligible patients, but the exemption also applies to care workers who work for larger agencies, as well.

I bet you can guess who this union supported in the last election cycle.

The care workers are members of SEIU 775, a politically active union that has long been a major contributor for Democrats in the state, and an Inslee ally. The union regularly pours millions into political campaigns, mostly to keep Democrats in control at the state level, and to pass initiatives for worker protections…like avoiding forced vaccinations, apparently.

I feel like I need to take a shower after writing this piece, and luckily I can do so without the help of a care worker. For many Washington citizens, though, the choice has become clear: hire an unvaccinated worker or go without in-person care.

Inslee’s team tried to sweep the obvious political wink-and-nod under the rug as a benefit to the common, elderly man or woman: if the unionized workers refuse and strike, think about how many people would be at risk, Inslee spokesperson Mike Faulk insinuated. Remember, kids, all of their slimy dealings are for your benefit, since you clearly do not know how to get by without them.

“The loss of a home care worker in an individual home could mean moving a person out of their own home into a facility or hospital for care. Not only would that mean moving people away from home-based care, but the long-term care and hospital systems are already incredibly stretched,” Faulk said.

Fear, maneuvering, fear, maneuvering, rinse and repeat; this entire sordid dance has far transcended the benefits of public health and has instead been transformed into an ugly theatrical production. Absolutely no consistency exists throughout the bureaucratic ranks, and yet livelihoods are being threatened daily for questioning the decisions of the inconsistent.